ISLAMABAD, Sept 7: President General Pervez Musharraf on Wednesday assured government’s all-out support to curb violence against women but denounced individuals, groups and non-governmental organisations who singled out Pakistan on the issue.

“I feel hurt when people single out Pakistan at various international forums on the issue of violence against women. I will never stand with them. Instead, I will oppose them with all my power,” he said while addressing the inaugural session of the ‘Regional Conference on Violence Against Women’ here at a local hotel.

“People with certain political and financial agendas are involved in demonizing Pakistan and will be opposed with full force,” he said.

Referring to Dr Shazia Khalid, a rape victim who sought asylum in the UK, the president said: “We did not push her out of the country. Only after her request, she was sent abroad. And if she wants to come back, the government will provide her security.”

Dr Shazia, who was allegedly raped by security personnel at Sui, Balochistan, alleged after reaching the UK that she had left Pakistan because of “harassment” and denial of justice.

President Musharraf told delegates from 26 countries attending the two-day conference that the holding of the moot testified to Pakistan’s commitment to emancipation of women.

Violence against women is not an issue of Pakistan alone but has become a global issue, he said, adding: “Every 90 second a woman is raped in the US, every year 25,000 women are raped in France.”

A recent article in ‘India Today’ talked about women’s rape in India, and lack of judicial activism to provide them justice, the president said.

“Don’t wash your dirty linen outside, let’s wash it inside the country,” he said.

“You will never see women’s rights activists of these countries going abroad and singling out their countries in this regard. Instead, unlike Pakistan, they work together to find out ways of fighting against the menace,” the president said.

President Musharraf said all major religions, including Islam, have developed male-centred societies. Muslims have to see what the religious rights of women are, and harmonize them with their social and cultural practices, he said.

“Yes, there is a large gap between policy formulation and its implementation in the country. Passing of ordinances alone will not help us. We have to follow the right direction to reach the destination,” he said.

Criticizing previous governments, the president said the country twice had a woman as elected prime minister. She could have empowered women.

“It was me, a man in uniform, who supported women to have political authority. At present, there are 29,000 women at various tiers of local governments, 73 women in the National Assembly. We have to back them up, and they have to work hard for themselves,” he said.

The government has started 100 per cent government-funded Gender Reforms Action Programme (GRAP) for women’s emancipation; funds have been passed on to union council level; there are women crisis centres around the country; a law against honour killings has been passed, the president said.

The media is more liberated and the credit for this goes to the government. Cases like Mukhtaran Mai and Dr Shazia Khalid are coming to limelight, and the government is taking immediate actions, he said.

“Besides all these efforts, we have to sit together to get to the root causes of violence against women in the country. There is a need to change the mindset, change thinking and enlighten the minds of people,” he said.

Prime minister’s adviser on women development, Nilofar Bakhtiar, also spoke on the occasion.